Trey Anastasio

MUSIC Make jokes about patchouli scents and endless solos if you must, but there's no denying the ambition of Phish's Trey Anastasio's intentions in a special, one-night pairing with the L.A. Philharmonic. Promising to deliver orchestra-assisted takes on his band's broad songbook as well as his solo compositions, this show probably won't gain many converts among those not already a fan of the guitarist's dexterous runs and surrealistically upbeat turns of phrase. But as his 2009 symphonic collaboration "Time Turns Elastic" proved, there's no doubting Anastasio has the chops to pull off this collaboration.

“Hands on a Hardbody,” the new musical about cash-strapped Texans competing for a truck, couldn't pick up speed on Broadway. Producers announced Monday that the show, which opened March 21 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City, will close Saturday after 28 regular performances and dismal ticket sales. The production grossed $240,040 for eight shows last week -- or about 22% of its potential $1,071,968. Critics initially praised the pared-down production that featured an ensemble cast of 15 and a red Nissan.

**1/2 TREY ANASTASIO "Trey Anastasio" Elektra Phish fans would likely follow band leader Anastasio anywhere--after all, they went for last year's messy experiments with his Oysterhead collaboration with Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland. He takes them to a few new places on this solo debut (due in stores Tuesday), breaking from his regular band's rock quartet format by employing a horn section, some Afro-Caribbean rhythms and full orchestrations in a few places.

MUSIC Make jokes about patchouli scents and endless solos if you must, but there's no denying the ambition of Phish's Trey Anastasio's intentions in a special, one-night pairing with the L.A. Philharmonic. Promising to deliver orchestra-assisted takes on his band's broad songbook as well as his solo compositions, this show probably won't gain many converts among those not already a fan of the guitarist's dexterous runs and surrealistically upbeat turns of phrase. But as his 2009 symphonic collaboration "Time Turns Elastic" proved, there's no doubting Anastasio has the chops to pull off this collaboration.

Trey Anastasio has found the funk. For his first tour as a solo artist, the guitarist and primary songwriter for Phish has left that band's baroque song structures behind and dug his heels into big, brassy grooves that take their cues from James Brown, Little Feat and Fela Kuti. Anastasio's L.A. solo debut at the Greek Theatre on Wednesday was less jam band and more jam on it. He was working with a larger band than Phish's four-piece lineup.

Phish fans had to be let down easy. For them it was more than a band. It was a calling, a community, its concerts a gathering of nomadic multitudes, a place to sing along or dance the hippie shake. Phish couldn't just break up. So a surprise announcement late last year declared that Phish was merely taking a hiatus from the blend of rock, jazz and folk that spearheaded the '90s "jam band" movement.

Grab your tackle box: Phish is back. The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6 to 8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009. When the group called it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note." The band's final shows Aug. 14 and 15, 2004, in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Few performers can play three hours of all-new, unreleased music with a new band and have 5,000 people dancing and cheering from first note to last. Trey Anastasio--who built just such an indulgent audience as the frontman of neo-hippie-rock favorites Phish--didn't abuse that privileged position on Thursday at the Greek Theatre.

Trey Anastasio "Shine" (Columbia) * * * ANASTASIO was wise to let it all go. Phish was everything, the meaning of life itself to a dedicated caravan of cultists, an endless jam session of sunshine and formless noodling, and profoundly uninteresting to most everyone else. By dissolving Phish last year, to the great horror of true believers, Anastasio finally set himself free. It shows on "Shine," his first album (in stores Tuesday) since that breakup.

Grab your tackle box: Phish is back. The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6 to 8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009. When the group called it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note." The band's final shows Aug. 14 and 15, 2004, in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Trey Anastasio "Shine" (Columbia) * * * ANASTASIO was wise to let it all go. Phish was everything, the meaning of life itself to a dedicated caravan of cultists, an endless jam session of sunshine and formless noodling, and profoundly uninteresting to most everyone else. By dissolving Phish last year, to the great horror of true believers, Anastasio finally set himself free. It shows on "Shine," his first album (in stores Tuesday) since that breakup.

Phish is not a band of equals. Not now, as the quartet returns to action after a two-year hiatus. They are all fine players, at times capable of striking passages of rock, jazz and folk, but their celebrated improvisations hinge on the creative whims of just one player: guitarist Trey Anastasio. At least that was the case Friday at the band's three-hour Valentine's Day concert at the Forum. Phish's musical energy during long instrumental sections rose or fell on the strengths of the guitarist.

Trey Anastasio has found the funk. For his first tour as a solo artist, the guitarist and primary songwriter for Phish has left that band's baroque song structures behind and dug his heels into big, brassy grooves that take their cues from James Brown, Little Feat and Fela Kuti. Anastasio's L.A. solo debut at the Greek Theatre on Wednesday was less jam band and more jam on it. He was working with a larger band than Phish's four-piece lineup.

**1/2 TREY ANASTASIO "Trey Anastasio" Elektra Phish fans would likely follow band leader Anastasio anywhere--after all, they went for last year's messy experiments with his Oysterhead collaboration with Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland. He takes them to a few new places on this solo debut (due in stores Tuesday), breaking from his regular band's rock quartet format by employing a horn section, some Afro-Caribbean rhythms and full orchestrations in a few places.

“Hands on a Hardbody,” the new musical about cash-strapped Texans competing for a truck, couldn't pick up speed on Broadway. Producers announced Monday that the show, which opened March 21 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City, will close Saturday after 28 regular performances and dismal ticket sales. The production grossed $240,040 for eight shows last week -- or about 22% of its potential $1,071,968. Critics initially praised the pared-down production that featured an ensemble cast of 15 and a red Nissan.

Phish is not a band of equals. Not now, as the quartet returns to action after a two-year hiatus. They are all fine players, at times capable of striking passages of rock, jazz and folk, but their celebrated improvisations hinge on the creative whims of just one player: guitarist Trey Anastasio. At least that was the case Friday at the band's three-hour Valentine's Day concert at the Forum. Phish's musical energy during long instrumental sections rose or fell on the strengths of the guitarist.

Few performers can play three hours of all-new, unreleased music with a new band and have 5,000 people dancing and cheering from first note to last. Trey Anastasio--who built just such an indulgent audience as the frontman of neo-hippie-rock favorites Phish--didn't abuse that privileged position on Thursday at the Greek Theatre.

Phish fans had to be let down easy. For them it was more than a band. It was a calling, a community, its concerts a gathering of nomadic multitudes, a place to sing along or dance the hippie shake. Phish couldn't just break up. So a surprise announcement late last year declared that Phish was merely taking a hiatus from the blend of rock, jazz and folk that spearheaded the '90s "jam band" movement.